A major breakthrough in the recognition of obesity in the developing world was heralded by a consensus convention in Rio de Janeiro.

The convention set the seal on one of the first consensus documents to attract government backing.   The Brazilian Ministry of Health intends launching a nationwide program for the prevention of obesity - believed to be the first developing country to officially start a coordinated action against obesity.
The ministry, in collaboration with education ministry, is introducing a nationwide school television program teaching healthy eating and the importance of being physically active. 

Nearly 300 experts from 12 Latin American countries gathered to agree the final version of a 16 chapter document intended to revolutionize treatment practices. Delegates representing 87 per cent of the Latin American population are from: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Equador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Ministerial backing is now being sought in the other participating countries to try to adapt the document's recommendations to each country.

"We think that this consensus was a very important step towards a better approach of obesity epidemics in Latin America and one of the most important supports we had certainly came from IOTF. 
We also hope that this experience of a multinational consensus may contribute in the near future to other coordinated actions for the fight of obesity and perhaps that the Latin American Day for the fight against obesity could become next year an International Day sponsored and coordinated by IOTF," said Dr Walmir Coutinho, coordinator of the consensus.

The main sponsor is FLASO (Latin American Federation of Obesity Societies) and ABESO (Brazilian association for the Study of Obesity) was designated to organize the Convention in Rio.

The document goes to public consultation lasting 80 days with contributions invited via e-mail through 
consenso@abeso.org.br . The deadline for comments is December 31. The document will then be reviewed and published after second conference to review the document expected to be held in Puerto Rico, on April 99. 

A text is also expected to be available on the ABESO (Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity) web site www.abeso.org.br with an English version planned to allow contributions from other continents. 

The IOTF's document was one of the most important landmarks in the history of obesity. We are convinced that every effort is necessary to bring to practice its recommendations. 

What we in  FLASO are trying to achieve is a document that can provide an overview of obesity, highlighting the importance of fighting the epidemic and the nutrition transition in Latin American countries, emphasizing the need for investment in prevention.

We are also trying to provide the clinicians and healthcare professionals with guidelines on the assessment and treatment of obesity.

The structure of the document is based on 16 chapters:

1. Prevalence, health risks and cost.
2. Ethiopathogeny and Phisiopathology.
3. Eating disorders associated with obesity.
4. Prevention
5. Assessment of the obese patient.
6. Physical activity and exercise.
7. Foods ant diet therapy.
8. Psychotherapy.
9. Anti obesity agents.
10. Hormonal therapies.
11. Bariatric surgery.
12. Nutritional supplements.
13. Alternative therapies.
14. Obesity in children and adolescents.
15. Obesity in pregnancy and lactation.
16. Ethics in obesity.

Some of the chapters, like hormonal therapies, nutritional supplements, alternative therapies and ethics in obesity, have been included in the document mainly because malpractice is very frequent in many of the participant countries. The aim is to review critically the lack of scientific basis for many of the therapies currently on offer.

Dr Walmir Coutinho, Rio Consensus Coordinator 

• October 8-9, 1998 - 25 delegates from 12 countries will discuss the chapters of the document and complete the final version
• October 10 -  the final document will be presented in an eight hour Symposium to physicians and other healthcare professionals with 300 participants
• October 11, Sunday - A public walk at Ipanema beach to launch the Latin-American day for the fight against obesity, supported by Rio City Hall and the Brazilian Ministry of Health